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Caius II Vallerion
High King Caius II Vallerion of Cyrodiil was an Imperial ruler in the Second Era. He is the child and heir of Caius I, a legendary war hero, revolutionary and king who created the Kingdom of Cyrodiil in 2E 476. As part of a coup to overthrow King Caius, Caius II was captured in his home by the forces of Count Luther Silvectus of Chorrol in order to ensure that a regency council would exist following the assassination of the king (which he also orchestrated). While in the Count's dungeons, Caius faced severe torture, including the loss of his eyes. When he was found, he was incredibly wounded psychologically and physically, and his ability to rule Cyrodiil was greatly questioned. However, the High Council decided that, as King Caius I's only legitimate heir, he would take his father's place. Caius earned a reputation as a erratic ruler, with many believing that he was possessed - or worse. He was called the''' Mad King''' by many, due to the fragility of his mental state that grew progressively worse as he became older. Early Life Unlike his father, Caius II was born into privilege. He never faced hardships in his childhood, and was raised in a palace. His father loved him dearly, perhaps more so than the other children, and gave him the best education money could buy. Caius was set to be his father's heir early on, and was groomed to command an army and rule a kingdom from a young age. He was taught by his father when possible, though Caius I was often away fighting his wars. The rest of the time, his mother prepared him for adulthood. Caius took after his father in many ways. He was strong, tall and bold, and was remarkably talented with a blade. As much as he wanted to be a knight and serve his father in the kingsguard, his fate was decided the day he was born: he would succeed his father and rule Cyrodiil as High King. Upon coming of age, he was granted a few small titles to prepare him for leadership. He was Baron of Weye, a suburban area outside of the Imperial City. He struggled greatly with basic village management and proved to be a poor ruler, making many worried about the damage he could cause as high king. The Coup In the later years of his father's reign, a conspiracy was formed by the Count of Chorrol to overthrow him. The plan worked in three parts: first, the king must be assassinated. From there, the king's heir, Caius II, would be captured in secret. Thirdly, a regency council would be formed with Count Luther of Chorrol at its head. He would then use his influence to gain power and eventually put himself on the throne, with the heir missing. If push came to shove, however, Count Luther would use Caius as a bargaining chip and hostage. It was a bold plan, and almost worked. In his home at Weye, Prince Caius was captured in the middle of the night by mercenaries under Count Luther. He was taken to the Count's dungeons, where he would spend the next six years. This was a traumatic time for Caius, as he was brutally tortured and tormented and was given very little food and water. Eventually, he was blinded as well. Just before the Count managed to seize the throne, he was stopped when an investigation by the former king's loyal vassals determined that the coup was the work of Count Luther. Prince Caius was freed subsequently, though he would never be the same. High King of Cyrodiil In the weeks that followed, Count Luther was publicly executed on the orders of Prince Caius. Meanwhile, the regency council continued to rule and debate whether or not Caius could take the throne in his current state. Not only was he blind, but his emotional trauma was significant enough to impair his ability to rule. Caius, however, was the only legitimate heir, as all of his siblings were assassinated by Count Luther's men. It was eventually declared the Caius II would rule Cyrodiil, as they had no better option aside from an election, which would likely tear the realm apart. Caius struggled to adapt to freedom and for quite some time refused to leave his bedchambers. He demanded that the kingsguard double in size and that no one be allowed to see him in person. He finally agreed to attend court, and finally began to rule his father's realm. As king, Caius was incredibly peculiar. His behavior was incredibly strange, and many of his laws were far out of the ordinary. Some believed he was possessed, and others believed he had taken to worshiping Sheogorath. Either way, few trusted him as king, and he faced a great many plots and factions from his scheming vassals. He remained sane enough to recognize that Cyrodiil was not fully united, and ordered the armies to finish the job his father had started. Within 10 years, Cyrodiil was entirely conquered. Unlike his father, however, King Caius was not on the battlefield. His blindness restricted him to court, where he received word of his victorious from messengers. He hardly cared about conquest, however; he was often concerned with more trivial matters. By all accounts, Caius II was a horrible king. His mental state became progressively more fragile as the years passed, forcing him to abdicate by the time he turned 40. Because of his insanity, he became mocked as the "Mad King." Despite his nickname, Caius never actually hurt anyone. He was, for the most part, a kind ruler, though he was so out of touch with reality that he could not accomplish anything meaningful as king. Later Life Upon abdicating and allowing his son, Titus I, to take the throne, Caius spent the rest of his days in the White-Gold Palace with his family. His son made sure that he was well taken care of; though his father was insane, Titus still wanted him to spend the rest of his days in comfort. Caius reportedly wrote a book before he died. Allegedly, it was a critique of mudcrabs and their mating habits. Titus made certain that it was never published. Caius died of natural causes at the age of 60. He was buried next to his father in Green Emperor Way's cemetery, though his funeral wasn't nearly as grand of an affair. Category:Characters Category:Males Category:High Kings Category:Deceased Category:Imperials